U.S. senators re-introduce bill to modernize California’s drift gillnet fishery

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The future of large, mesh drift gillnets, which are used to catch swordfish off the California coast, has caught the ire of at least two senators in Washington, D.C. Can the duo recruit enough legislators in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to get the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act to Pres. Donald J. Trump’s desk for possible signature? California legislators banned drift gillnets in state waters last year but are still legal in federal waters off the California coast. The Drift Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act would extend the state’s protections to federal waters within five years. Fishermen would receive assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to transition away from the mile long mesh drift gillnets and toward something more sustainable. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, re-introduced the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act on March 27. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, joined Feinstein in re-introducing the bill on the Senate floor. Both senators argue the drift gillnets cause significant bycatch waste by killing or severely killing endangered, protected or other marine species. The Feinstein-Capito bill, both senators stated, would modernize California’s swordfish fishery by “phasing out the use of mile long drift gillnets.” “California took the...